Legato monitor for piano-forte players



(No Model.)

S. A. EMERY. LEGATO MONITOR FOR PIANO FORTE lLAYERS. No. 253,857.Patented Feb. 21,1882.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN A. EMERY, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

LEGATO MONITOR FOR PIANO-FORTE PLAYERS.

SPECIFICATION forrrring part of Letters Patent No. 253,857, datedFebruary 21, 1882.

Application filed November 29, 1881.

To all whom at may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN A. EMERY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Newton, in the county of Middlesex and Commonwealth ofMassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Devices for Regulatingthe Movement of the Hand, \Vrist, and Forearm inPlayingthePiano-Forte,which Idenominate Emerys Legato Monitor, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to a new and useful device for aiding players onthe piano-forte andother musical instruments having a keyboard toacquire a proper touch in playing legato (or smooth) passages of music.

All teachers of players on the piano-forte are aware that an essentialpoint to be gained is to secure the playing of legato (smooth) passagesof music by the use of the fingers without an accompanying upward anddownward movement of the wrists. In playing such passages the motivepower acting on the keys of the instrument should proceed from the thumband fingers and not noticeably from the hand, wrist, or forearm. Thepurpose to be accomplished can in general be efi'ected only by keepingthe player informed of the fault to be corrected, and by frequentwarning, especially in the teachers absence, that it must be avoided inorder to secure a skillful and agreeable performance. I attain theseobjects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich-- Figure l is a side view, and Fig. 2 is a front view.

Similar letters refer to similar parts th roughout both views.

In Fig. 1 a small hell or gong, A, is supported on a firm stand or post,B, the post itselfbeingfixed fastin aflat metal spring, 0 D E. Thespring near the point D is to be so thin that a slight jar of the wholedownward will cause an immediate lowering of the upper end, E, fromwhich depends a small metal hammer, F, acting on the bell A each time itis jarred downward. The curved spring 0 D E is kept curved by a smallwire or thread, H, connecting the ring G with the ring J above, thelatter terminating in a screw, which passes upward through the spring 0D E, and is there held in place by the small nut K. At first, if

(N0 model.)

the players arm jars very much and the bell warns him that nearly everynote is played with this faulty motion of the wrist, it may be well tounscrew a little the nut K, thus allowing the spring O D E slightly toopen, raising the hammerF farther from the bell A. It will then ringonly when the wrist motion is very bad. As the player, by practice,acquires a smoother touch the nut K may be turned gradually down,bringing the hammer F nearer the bell A, and thus causinga warningto theplayer of the slightest deviation from legato playing.

In legato passages interspersed with accents the height of the hammer Fshould be so regulated by means of the nut K that the bell may ring onlywhen the accented notes are played.

This warning device is designed to be held in an upright position (shownin Fig. 1) by an arm-ringor bracelet, of which M, Fig. l, is aside view,and M, Fig. 2, is afront view, worn around the players forearm, with thebell A projecting forward toward the players hand. This arm-ring isadjustable in size, being made of flat metal strap, slightly tempered.The ends of this strap are held in place, so as to form a ring, by metalclasps L L, Fig. 2, fastened to the ends, and by means of the smallknobs NN they may be pushed upward or downward, thus diminishing orenlarging the circumference of the arm-ring toaccommodate the size ofthe arm. When the clasps L L are pushed down to the lowest part of thearm-ring the latter should be sufficiently enlarged to admit through ita hand of ordinary size. By push in g the sliding clasps L L upwardtoward the spring 0 D E after the arm-ring is placed around the arm thering is made to clasp the arm tightly enough to keep the warningapparatus above described in proper position without unduly pinching orinconveniencing the arm. When thus adjusted to the arm of the player, solong as the/fingers only are used no motion is communicated to thehammer F suffi cient to ring the hell or gong A; but when the playing isaccompanied by a faulty motion of the hand, wrist, or forearm thisthrows the hammer F against the bell A, and thus audibly warns theplayer of his fault, thereby aiding in its correction.

The various parts of this legato monitor should be made of aslightmaterial as is con sistent with the purpose of this invention.

If preferred, any other sounding substance maybe substituted in place ofthe hell or gong A, provided it emits an audible warning distinct fromthat of the piano-forte itself. Also, if desired, a strap of leather orof other material may be substituted for the metal arm-ring M.

This invention may be used on either arm,or one on each arm at the sametime, as circumstances may require.

While I regard as best the construction, combination, and adjustmentgiving an audible reminder of thefault when committed, as abovedescribed, yet, should the player prefer, the bell A may be dispensedwith and the hammer sufficiently lowered to tap the back of the wrist orarm whenever the above-named fault occurs.

I am aware that prior to my invention flat metal rings with slidingclasps have been used 20 for other purposes, and therefore I do notclaim as new the arm-ring or bracelet M; nor do I claim as new any otherof the separate parts of this invention.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

An exercising device for aiding pupils in practicing on key-boardmusical instruments, which consists of the adjustable spring 0 D E,hammer F, and bell A, mounted upon the wristlet M, or its equivalent,all constructed and arrangedsubstautiallyin the maunerdescribed, and forthe purpose set forth.

STEPHEN A. EMERY.

Witnesses:

J OSEPH 1t. CHURCHILL, CHAS. A. M AoKIN'rosn.

